


Second Chance (Don't Let It Go)

by silvertons



Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-07 11:43:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3172914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvertons/pseuds/silvertons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last person Adalind expects to find in Victor's house is Meisner, but well, he's not there by choice. Adalind has to decide how to help him, and what happens to them both once she does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There is a vague mention of Adalind's assault of Nick in this chapter.

She'd been in the castle for nearly a month, and every day it got harder to breathe. Hope was what kept her going- hope she'd find Diana, and then hope that they would be able to get away from Viktor after she did. But the wait was suffocating, accompanied by guards at every door and cameras in her rooms. She dreamed sometimes of those fleeting days with her daughter, on the run from the royals, with only a Resistance fighter for company.

Meisner.

He'd fulfilled his promise to her, or he'd thought he had. He'd gotten her to safety, and she had thanked him for it. If it hadn't been for him, she might not have lived long enough to name her daughter or even hold her. Adalind wondered what had happened to him, where he was. She wondered if he knew that Viktor didn't have her baby, if he knew the Resistance had been betrayed by Kelly Burkhardt, just as she had.

She wondered if he thought about her too.

Days in the house were quiet. Viktor was either out or in his study. He was a serious man, not as lavish as Eric had been, and he showed no interest in Adalind besides her usefulness in finding her baby. She was thankful for that, even when the days were long and lonely. She'd had enough of royals.

Nights in the house were still. The only people awake and moving was a sentry of guards that swept the halls on a fixed schedule. It didn't take her long to figure the schedule out, or pinpoint the openings in it where she could slip from her rooms undetected. She never saw any cameras in the halls, but she assumed they were there. She didn't care if Viktor knew she went on late night walks, or snuck to the kitchen for a snack, she just didn't want to have to explain herself to anyone when she did.

Her favorite place to go was a balcony overlooking one of the grounds' many gardens. This garden in particular was all roses. Bright colored pink ones, and deeper reds. An odd variation of blue that seemed to glow slightly, and classic yellows and whites. She'd lean against the balcony's stone and take deep breaths, inhaling the fragrance from the flowers, letting them soothe her wild heart. She needed to stay calm, but it was difficult to do when every part of her wanted to lash out. She carried so much anger inside of her - and no one was immune from it.

She blamed Sean for every part he had played in her story. For using her, for making her think he cared for her. For lying to her and giving their child away.

She blamed Viktor for demanding her daughter be given to him, claiming her. She blamed him for lying to her about having Diana, making her believe she could see her child again if she took Nick's powers.

She blamed Kelly for Nick, for having a son who stole her powers and created the desperation that led to the royals in the first place, and she blamed Nick for Kelly, for having a mother who thought she could steal her child. She blamed Hank, and Monroe, and Rosalee, and Juliette by association. No one was immune.

Except...

Except Meisner. She didn't blame him. Or, maybe that was a lie. On her worst nights, in her worst moments, she thought he should have known. Maybe then she blamed him for trusting Kelly to protect her, even though he couldn't have known. And Kelly  _did_  protect her. Adalind was still alive, Diana was still alive. But Adalind was fractured, a piece of her gone, and that wasn't something that could be healed.

So no, she didn't blame Meisner, not really. He'd been kind to her, and she thought kindly of him. She wasn't sure if she thought she owed him or not, hadn't needed to think about it. Until one day, she did.

There was nothing unusual for Adalind on the night she slipped from her room and headed towards the kitchen. The hallways were clear, the guards in rotation. Adalind was hoping there were left over scones from breakfast that morning, her stomach rumbling from an untouched dinner with Viktor. She'd lost her appetite, sitting with him, as he asked her more of the same questions.  _Have you been able to remember anything else about Kelly Burkhardt? Do you have any information on Sean that we can use to get him to help us? What about the Grimm, Nick, what can you tell me about him?_  She didn't want to think about Kelly or Sean or, god, Nick, when it made her stomach turn when she thought about what she did. She just wanted to hold her daughter in her arms, and be able to close her eyes without worrying someone would take her away.

The kitchen was empty as well, and Adalind spotted the scones on a plate on the counter, wrapped in plastic to preserve them. She peeled back the wrapping and grabbed one, nibbling on it as she returned to her room. She stopped almost immediately as she heard voices, muffled but near. She looked around a little frantically, sudden fear of being caught overpowering her basic reasoning that there wasn't anything so bad about having a late night snack. Still, she retreated to a wall, made herself small and waited for someone to appear. They didn't, even thought the voices continued. They weren't getting closer, or any clearer.

She focused on the sound, and found her vision drawn to a grate near the floor on the opposite wall. She approached it carefully, and crouched down to settle her head near it. The voices were louder then, and clearer too, and Adalind's heart jumped to her throat as she recognized them.


	2. Chapter 2

Meisner watched the plane take off, and told himself he’d never see Adalind again. He’d done his job, and he knew he should be glad to be rid of her. But if the tight feeling in the pit of his stomach meant anything, his feelings were far more complicated.

He knew that part of his affection for her was due to their close proximity over the previous days. Since leaving the city, he hadn’t left Adalind’s side for more than a few minutes. He was supposed to protect her, and he needed to be close to her to do that. But he’d heard enough about Adalind from Sean Renard to be wary. He knew some of the things she’d done, that she could be “tricky”, that’s what Renard had said. But the Adalind he got to know wasn’t tricky, she was scared. And she was strong. He pushed her hard, because he had to, and she met each challenge. She could have been so much more difficult, but she knew he was helping her, even if Meisner got the impression that she wasn’t used to being helped.

He found himself telling her about Alice.

He never talked about Alice, with anyone. Since her death, since the royals had killed her, he’d kept to himself. He fulfilled his duties as part of the Resistance with fervor, because bringing down the royals, making them pay, was what drove him. He made the Resistance his life, because he had to. Adalind asked him if he had anyone, and he told her he had, once. He didn’t even say her name, but talking about it at all had been more painful than he thought it should be after so many years. It had also been a relief, and he felt lighter for having told her.

Something about those days, on the run for their lives, tired and hungry and just the two of them, had bonded them. Returning to the Resistance afterwards had proved more difficult than he had anticipated, and he often found himself thinking of Adalind. He even had something to remember her by, the bite she'd given him having caused light scaring on his hand. He'd run fingers over the marks, a soothing gesture that others soon noticed. He was more careful then of his movement, and it wore on him, having to hide his thoughts of her.

There was no hiding his feelings when he found out Adalind never made it to the Resistance. Their contact had betrayed them. He had sent Adalind and her baby off with someone he knew nothing about, and his anger flared as he searched for any indication of where they went. He tracked lead after lead until he discovered Adalind had been in Portland. News of her and her child had reached Resistance informants, but not quick enough for them to act before Viktor arrived to take possession of the child. Meisner didn't have to look much after that, because once the royals believed the Resistance had stolen the child, they came for them. Everyone was fighting for their lives, and Meisner was still fighting for the truth. If the royals didn't have the child and the Resistance didn't have the child, who did?

An ambush proved fatal for two of Meisner's fellow Resistance fighters. Meisner wasn't so lucky. He came to in a cell, a cold and dark unfamiliar place, with his wrists in shackles. Struggling proved to be in vain, and he rubbed his skin raw before someone appeared. Meisner knew the man's name and face. Rispoli, Viktor's appointed head of the Verrat. His smug smile made Meisner want to snap his neck, but there was little he could do to him chained.

"Hello, Mr. Meisner. Welcome to Kronenberg Castle."

The next few days were filled with pain. Meisner wasn't unfamiliar with pain, though, and he gave them nothing. Viktor had made a few appearances, looking displeased, and Meisner took comfort in that and in the fear Rispoli tried to hide whenever Viktor appeared. If he was going to die there, a part of him wanted to take down Rispoli with him. He had no love for the royals or the Verrat.

Rispoli wanted to know what Meisner could tell them about Kelly Burkhardt. Meisner hadn't even known that was his contacts name before Rispoli told him. Information was kept fractured for this very reason. Meisner told him nothing. Rispoli wanted to know names of other resistance members. Meisner told him nothing. Soon, Rispoli stopped asking questions. He just stood against the wall as his Verrat tortured Meisner, then returned later to start again. The time blurred, but Meisner thought it had been only three days since he woke up in the cell. He'd lasted longer than that before.

He was tied to a chair, blood dripping from multiple wounds, but he met Rispoli's gaze defiantly. "Tell me what I want to know," Rispoli said, his frustration evident. Meisner said nothing. "Give me the names of Resistance members in Austria." Meisner was annoyed Rispoli thought he'd tell him anything.

The door to the cell opened, and Viktor appeared. Meisner lashed out without thinking about it, his body straining against his binds. Viktor's mouth ticked up at the motion. The futility of Meisner's situation amused him. "Any progress," Viktor asked, his eyes not leaving Meisner.

Rispoli hesitated, trying to find a way to spin his failure. "He hasn't said anything yet, sir. But no one can withstand my interrogation forever."

Viktor's eyes narrowed. "I don't have forever. The longer this takes, the further from us that child gets. I want progress. Perhaps you should utilize the technique we used on Ms. Schade." Meisner tensed, unable to control reacting to Viktor mentioning Adalind. Viktor tilted his head, intrigued at what he saw. "Ah, yes, you know the lovely Adalind, don't you?"

Meisner remained silent, but his pulse raced and he struggled to contain his ragged breathing. "She's here," Viktor continued, enjoying the direction the conversation had taken. "She thought we had the child, you see. Came to us willing, eager to see her daughter again." Meisner imagined Adalind, desperate and lost, believing she'd be able to see her daughter again, and he snarled in anger. Viktor laughed, pleased to have struck a nerve. He turned to Rispoli. "Perhaps we have finally found a use for Ms. Schade."


End file.
